BBC industrial action 'inevitable'

Industrial action at the BBC is "inevitable" by Christmas if reports of up to 2,800 job cuts prove correct, a senior broadcasting union official warned today.

Gerry Morrissey, the general secretary of broadcast union Bectu, forecast imminent industrial action as he prepared to join a delegation of top union officials due to meet BBC chairman Sir Michael Lyons today to lobby against the cuts.

Mr Morrissey was commenting after the Financial Times today reported that BBC director general Mark Thompson will next week announce job cuts of at least 12%, with between 2,000 and 2,800 posts to go.

Senior BBC insiders said the figures quoted by the FT "sounded about right", although they are not due to be briefed on the full details of the job cuts until Mr Thompson has presented his final cost-cutting plans to the BBC Trust next Wednesday, October 17.

"Next week we will call a house meeting to consider the proposals and if the press rumours are true I think industrial action is inevitable by Christmas," Mr Morrissey said.

"All the rumours we are hearing suggest that it's going to be in the region of 2,000 to 3,000 jobs," he added.

"The major departments likely to be affected are factual and news. However, there are going to be cuts across the piece."

Mr Morrissey said that he accepted downsizing would take place because of the lower-than-expected licence fee settlement but that the predicted scale was too severe.

"We are going to go back to the days of the John Birt era where people were always looking for their next jobs. It was a very unhappy time," he added.

"What we are saying to our members is that they will not be able to do what they do at the moment - maintain the quality with significantly less staff - it's not going to be possible."

Paul McLaughlin, the NUJ's broadcasting official, added: "If this is true, clearly it would be a very big mistake, because the core output of the BBC must be protected and we will fight to protect it, with measures including strike action if necessary."

The delegation of union officials due to meet Sir Michael today also includes the National Union of Journalists general secretary, Jeremy Dear, the Musicians' Union general secretary, John Smith, and the Equity general secretary, Christine Payne.

A BBC spokeswoman said the plans for reprioritising the BBC budget had not yet been finally decided.

"Those plans will be considered by the BBC Trust at a meeting next week, and until those plans have been finalised we will not be commenting," she added.

A BBC Trust spokeswoman said: "Michael Lyons is meeting representatives of unions associated with the BBC as part of his ongoing programme of introductory meetings with stakeholders to explain the role of the BBC Trust and to listen to views about how the BBC is serving the licence fee paying public. The meeting has been scheduled for some weeks."

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